Scan barcode
christiana's review
3.0
Persuasion is among my favorite books, so I had to give this a shot. All in all, I'm glad I did. Although, all in all, I also think this story wasn't as tight or edited as it could be. This is too bad because I think there's a great story swimming in all the Babysitter's Club style information of what everyone is wearing. The cast of characters is a bit daunting. Keeping Phoebe, Ben, Finn, Anna, Lucy, Lily, Hilary, Ginny, Lizzie, Molly, Oscar, and Wade straight is tricky at first, especially if you're hoping to remember descriptions of what they look like as well. Despite all this, this is a fun, sweet story I enjoyed reading.
steph01924's review
3.0
It was a cute, light read. I always enjoy a good Austen re-telling, which LaZebnik has done a couple of now. I read that some people found it to be a little slow without much going on. That's very true. This isn't a high-stakes, emotional drama filled book. Then again, the original Persuasion wasn't either. It was actually pretty dull and had long gaps of people sitting around doing not much, so in that aspect, this was a pretty true adaptation. I wasn't bored though; I read it in a night, so it kept my interest until the end. I wouldn't say it's a must read for anyone except people who really like Austen.
lurossreads's review
2.0
Mildly similar to Austen's persuasion, but far less complex. There is underage drinking and drugs.
claremm's review
3.0
I wanted to like this more, but I found it difficult to get past the fact that Anna rejected Finn in the beginning...
I am still keen to try Epic Fail!
I am still keen to try Epic Fail!
brandypainter's review
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Claire LaZebnik is the most amazing at Jane Austen retellings. There is not anyone else who can do them quite like she can. She adapts these stories into a modern teen setting so well. Yes, she makes some changes in doing that, but they are necessary changes and I personally adore what she does with them. The Last Best Kiss is her latest, a retelling of Persuasion, and it is excellent. What makes it so excellent is not only the decent update of Jane Austen it is, but as always LaZebnik has again created a story that is appealing and relatable to teen readers who may have never read Austen or even know this is a retelling.
I read an ARC received from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
Of all Austen's novels, Persuasion probably lends itself best to being reworked into a high school setting. When in our lives are we ever more persuadable than when we are young teens? True some people never grow out of that, but most of us hit our low point there. Anna does. She is in 9th grade and wants nothing more than to be accepted by her friends. Her family life is terrible and school is the only place she is not alone. Finn fills her life with joy and fun. She adores him, but is too afraid to stand up for him and what she feels for him. Finn has good reason to be angry at her. (Better than his original counterpart did if you ask me.) She did embarrass and hurt him for no better reason than being afraid of what others might think of her. When he moves back during senior year, however, he is much cuter and less nerdy. The nerd is still there, but he lets that part of him out far less. I love that when it does escape it is usually in relation to Anna and something she has done to set it off. And she loves that part of him and wants to see it more. Their story is adorable for what it is even without knowledge of the original. I really liked Anna and how she tried to make amends, knows she did something truly wrong, and attempts to move on. She is still fixated on Finn, but it is not in an unhealthy or overly emotional way. As for Finn...well. He is exactly the sort of boy I always liked in high school. (The sort of boy I married even.) Let's just say I liked him lots. The supporting cast of characters are all truly well done too. The group of friends Anna and Finn have are fantastic. They are all very different but they have a great rapport and the banter between them all is wonderful. Lily (who is the Louisa counterpart) can be obnoxious, but the reasons for that become clear and she isn't that way simply because she is Anna's competition for Finn.
The plot follows along the same basic lines as Persuasion. I do like that we saw some of Anna and Finn's freshman year relationship and the person he was before she embarrassed him. The whole "accident" scene makes far more sense in this context as well. While I liked seeing the connections from this plot to the original, it is one that can be enjoyed for itself without knowledge of the original novel. It is a story relatable to teens in so many ways: societal pressure, fears of the future, stress about college, and the family and friendship issues that plague everyone. In addition it is just a delightful romance. I had so much fun reading it. I seriously hope LaZebnik continues these.
Content Note: There is some discussion of sex, some underage drinking, and illegal drug use.
I read an e-galley made available by the publisher, Harper Teen, via Edelweiss. The Last Best Kiss is on sale April 22.
Claire LaZebnik is the most amazing at Jane Austen retellings. There is not anyone else who can do them quite like she can. She adapts these stories into a modern teen setting so well. Yes, she makes some changes in doing that, but they are necessary changes and I personally adore what she does with them. The Last Best Kiss is her latest, a retelling of Persuasion, and it is excellent. What makes it so excellent is not only the decent update of Jane Austen it is, but as always LaZebnik has again created a story that is appealing and relatable to teen readers who may have never read Austen or even know this is a retelling.
I read an ARC received from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
Of all Austen's novels, Persuasion probably lends itself best to being reworked into a high school setting. When in our lives are we ever more persuadable than when we are young teens? True some people never grow out of that, but most of us hit our low point there. Anna does. She is in 9th grade and wants nothing more than to be accepted by her friends. Her family life is terrible and school is the only place she is not alone. Finn fills her life with joy and fun. She adores him, but is too afraid to stand up for him and what she feels for him. Finn has good reason to be angry at her. (Better than his original counterpart did if you ask me.) She did embarrass and hurt him for no better reason than being afraid of what others might think of her. When he moves back during senior year, however, he is much cuter and less nerdy. The nerd is still there, but he lets that part of him out far less. I love that when it does escape it is usually in relation to Anna and something she has done to set it off. And she loves that part of him and wants to see it more. Their story is adorable for what it is even without knowledge of the original. I really liked Anna and how she tried to make amends, knows she did something truly wrong, and attempts to move on. She is still fixated on Finn, but it is not in an unhealthy or overly emotional way. As for Finn...well. He is exactly the sort of boy I always liked in high school. (The sort of boy I married even.) Let's just say I liked him lots. The supporting cast of characters are all truly well done too. The group of friends Anna and Finn have are fantastic. They are all very different but they have a great rapport and the banter between them all is wonderful. Lily (who is the Louisa counterpart) can be obnoxious, but the reasons for that become clear and she isn't that way simply because she is Anna's competition for Finn.
The plot follows along the same basic lines as Persuasion. I do like that we saw some of Anna and Finn's freshman year relationship and the person he was before she embarrassed him. The whole "accident" scene makes far more sense in this context as well. While I liked seeing the connections from this plot to the original, it is one that can be enjoyed for itself without knowledge of the original novel. It is a story relatable to teens in so many ways: societal pressure, fears of the future, stress about college, and the family and friendship issues that plague everyone. In addition it is just a delightful romance. I had so much fun reading it. I seriously hope LaZebnik continues these.
Content Note: There is some discussion of sex, some underage drinking, and illegal drug use.
I read an e-galley made available by the publisher, Harper Teen, via Edelweiss. The Last Best Kiss is on sale April 22.
theamyleblanc's review
3.0
I love Jane Austen and I've become fond of things like this, too. Claire does a lovely job of bringing Miss Austen's work into the twenty-first century. I know it isn't going to be earth-shattering or incredibly thought-provoking, but I do know that it'll be enjoyable and this book certainly was.
I love how she took the basic framework of Persuasion and made it her own. And I love Oscar. But I wasn't as in love with this book as I was with Epic Fail. This one was missing that little spark, that little something extra. It was still a wonderful read, exactly what I was looking for at the moment.
I love how she took the basic framework of Persuasion and made it her own. And I love Oscar. But I wasn't as in love with this book as I was with Epic Fail. This one was missing that little spark, that little something extra. It was still a wonderful read, exactly what I was looking for at the moment.
andiepie's review
3.0
Quick Review:
CUTE CUTE CUTE
I was in the mood for some good young adult retellings for a light read on the train home. I heard this was a retelling of Jane Austen's 'Persuasion' and naturally it peaked my interest.
Finn is adorable. Anna is relateable and while I didn't love her all at once - I found myself liking her a bit more by the end of the book. Their relationship was simple and light and I enjoyed that sweetness. All the other characters and their high school dramas blurred together for me and kind of faded into the background.
Sure, its not the most original storyline (duh) or had well fleshed out characters - but the relationship between the two leads satisfied that rom-com craving I had been trying to fill and this book was enough for me.
All in all, a good read if you're looking to briefly re-live high school for a bit and are a sucker for happy endings.
CUTE CUTE CUTE
I was in the mood for some good young adult retellings for a light read on the train home. I heard this was a retelling of Jane Austen's 'Persuasion' and naturally it peaked my interest.
Finn is adorable. Anna is relateable and while I didn't love her all at once - I found myself liking her a bit more by the end of the book. Their relationship was simple and light and I enjoyed that sweetness. All the other characters and their high school dramas blurred together for me and kind of faded into the background.
Sure, its not the most original storyline (duh) or had well fleshed out characters - but the relationship between the two leads satisfied that rom-com craving I had been trying to fill and this book was enough for me.
All in all, a good read if you're looking to briefly re-live high school for a bit and are a sucker for happy endings.
rosetteisreading's review
4.0
Book trope: Second chance romance & YA
4.5/5 Stars
I read this multiple times back in high school and I thought it was the sweetest book. There were parts in the book where I got upset at some of the characters but I understood why they were upset. Anna showed character development after she knew what she lost. Finn, he also knew that Anna was in the wrong and his actions were appropriate in my opinion. Very cutesy and did not disappoint.
4.5/5 Stars
I read this multiple times back in high school and I thought it was the sweetest book. There were parts in the book where I got upset at some of the characters but I understood why they were upset. Anna showed character development after she knew what she lost. Finn, he also knew that Anna was in the wrong and his actions were appropriate in my opinion. Very cutesy and did not disappoint.
kaitrosereads's review
Read the first 20% or so but I gave up after that. Skimmed to the end but just didn't like the characters